The Continuing Adventures of the McCollums: Dis

Dis week, Thomas has entered a new phase of his toddlerhood. While dis phase is incredible because it marks a very clear line for Thomas in that he can really articulate what exactly he wants (it's usually, "I want dis!") it is not necessarily one of the most exciting phases for his mother, who is subjected to Thomas' whims every day.

For example, one day this week, sometime around 9:30, Thomas up and ran to the fridge and declared, "I want dis!" He took out some leftover mac-n-cheese and gave it to his Mama. "Heat it up, Mama." Of course, I obliged despite the fact that he had just finished breakfast an hour ago.

Perhaps you are an observant one and noticed that Thomas is wearing only his diaper and some socks for this mid-morning snack. It's not that warm here in NY. Changing out of pjs was met with a lot of resistance and, "I wear I diaper." The socks were our sort of compromise.

"Thomas vacuum?" Sure! So I set Thomas up with the state-of-the-art vacuum from Nana McCollum. Keep in mind his vacuum is nicer than mine. Thomas was not to be fooled. "I want dis one, dis vacuum, Mama." So we shared vacuum duty of the downstairs.

Same held true for mopping the kitchen floor.

Thomas and I stopped at Sonic (a drive-in burger joint) after a quick trip to the store. He knew exactly what he wanted and pointed it out when I asked what he wanted for lunch. "Dis." Of course, dis was the ice cream sundae. I explained we would get ice cream at home with Dad and that we needed lunch first. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and he said, "I want a burger and tots, Mama." How much easier does it get than that?! So I ordered exactly that. Although Sonic is a fast food place, it was not fast enough for Thomas who explained to me, "I done waiting I food, Mama. I want I burger." Oh, dear Thomas, if only it were that easy!